TV presenter Ant McPartlin said he was “ashamed and mortified” as he pleaded guilty to drink driving.

He was charged following a collision with two other cars while driving in Richmond, London, on 18 March.

In a witness statement, the driver of one of the cars said he and his wife “could have died as a result of Mr McPartlin’s reckless driving”.

McPartlin was more than double the drink drive limit, Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court heard.

The charge states he had 75 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath.

The driver of a BMW hit by McPartlin’s car said the TV presenter’s Mini came round the corner like “a rocket”.

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Ant arrived at court to a media scrum

In a letter read out in court, McPartlin said he is “ashamed and mortified” and “accepts full responsibility”. He said he let himself “and so many others down”.

The presenter added that he realised people in the public eye should provide a positive example to others and that his court appearance was a “turning point” for him.

His barrister Liam Walker said McPartlin has expressed both his “sorrow and regret” and knows the consequences could have been much worse.

‘Lost control’

Prosecutor Katie Sinnett-Jones told the court the incident happened at around 3.50pm on 18 March on Lower Richmond Road.

She said McPartlin was driving around a “sharp bend and lost control” and then ended up on the wrong side of the road.

He collided with another Mini Cooper car before driving “straight into the front of an oncoming car”.

McPartlin’s vehicle “came to a halt and was no longer driveable due to the damage caused” she said.

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Ant and Dec present Britain’s Got Talent on ITV

In a statement read by Ms Sinnett-Jones, the driver of the other Mini said: “Myself and my family were in deep shock as we believed we could have died as as a result of Mr McPartlin’s reckless driving.”

The Metropolitan Police previously said that a number of individuals were treated at the scene for minor injuries, and a child passenger from one of the cars was taken to hospital to be checked as a precaution.

McPartlin’s barrister said his client had been seeking help for “alcohol and emotional issues” at the time of the crash, adding that his mother was in the car with him.

He told the judge the incident was down to “a brief relapse unbeknownst to his passenger”.

‘Let down terribly’

“Anthony McPartlin is sorry and is doing everything he can to ensure this never happens again,” Mr Walker said.

“He hopes that in time he can make himself better and that he might be forgiven by all of the many people he knows and he feels he has let down terribly.”

McPartlin’s statement to police said: “I accept full culpability for this and wish to apologise to all those concerned.”

His presenting partner Declan Donnelly hosted the final two episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway alone and will also host Britain’s Got Talent on his own, although McPartlin was seen on the ITV show over the weekend as the talent show aired its pre-recorded audition shows.